NZ Warriors 2021 Round 12 Review: Second half comeback not enough as Warriors pipped at the post

After round 11's victory over the Tigers, the Warriors journeyed to Queensland Country Bank Stadium to face the Cowboys. I was confident that the Warriors would come away with the much-needed two points. Still, that confidence was dampened with yet another slow start before the Warriors sprung to life, taking the lead before failing to close out the match, allowing the Cowboys to steal victory from the jaws of defeat with a near 40-metre field goal to see the Warriors lose 29-28.

Man, this game was a stressful watch. The Warriors wasted little time, scoring in the 2nd minute through Euan Aitken; but the Cowboys responded with authority, scoring four tries at a rapid pace via Kyle Feldt, Murray Taulagi, Jake Clifford and Scott Drinkwater; during this scoring spree, the Warriors lost Jazz Tevaga to the sin-bin, this saw the Cowboys go into the break with a 22-6 lead. The Warriors came out firing in the second half, with Aitken crossing for his second try; this was followed by a fantastic length of the field try by rookie Reece Walsh. Momentum appeared to have swung, with the Warriors scoring another two tries through Marcelo Montoya and Ben Murdoch-Masila to take the lead into the final 15 minutes of the match. The match got very tense, and the scores were levelled once again in the 75th minute when the Cowboys scored through Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who ran from inside his own 20 metres. The Warriors attempted a field goal with the clock ticking down but shanked it to the left before the Cowboys surged their way down the field before Valentine Holmes slotted the match-winning field goal from almost 40 metres out.

It was disappointing to see the Warriors let victory slip out of their grasp, they had a great shot at going into the bye round with a 6-6 record, but some lacklustre efforts from the pack and questionable game management was what sealed the Warriors fate here. The bye round could not have come at a better time as the Warriors have plenty of work to do as we head into the business end of the season.

There wasn't much for me to smile about, but it wasn't all doom and gloom, which leads to my positive from the match.

Match Positive

I really only have one positive, and that was the Warriors second-half comeback. Being down 22-6 at halftime, I thought the Warriors were toast. However, they came out of the sheds with an attacking mindset and showed how dangerous they can be with the ball in hand. They just need to play like that for 80 minutes and get the ball into the right hands when the game is in the line.

There was plenty of things that troubled me, which leads to my negatives from the match.

Match Negatives

That slow start was brutal, we have seen the Warriors allow teams to run rampant in patches in games, and if they want to make the playoffs, they need to start matches switched on. This competition is so close; any team on their day can give you trouble, so allowing them to run up an early lead will only lead to misery as you cannot rely on massive comeback attempts to get you out of jail every time.

The Warriors game management when the scores were level in the final minutes was some of the worst I have seen in some time. They were gifted a scrum deep in the Cowboys RedZone, and I thought they would have tried to slot a field goal right from there, but they decided to try some one-out runs before rushing a shot on the last tackle. I know plenty of people are throwing blame at Chanel Harris-Tavita, but he is still young and learning his craft; this will be a valuable lesson for the young half. There were other experienced players who needed to speak up and get an attack plan in motion. This was the second last-minute field-goal loss the Warriors have suffered this season, and hopefully, it will be the last.

The Warriors discipline was poor yet again. 4 penalties, 1 ruck infringement, 3 players placed on report and Tevaga's sin-bin. Now, while in the past Tevaga's late tackle would not have been a sin-bin, it was still a brain explosion of epic proportions. The way the game is now, everyone is watching for any slight indiscretion, so the Warriors need to make sure their noses are extra clean. They are not a dirty team by any means, so it shouldn't be hard; just leave the brain explosions at the door, Jazz. 

The forwards struggled to make a dent in the cowboys line with no forward running over 100 metres. The closest were Ben Murdoch-Masila (86 metres), Leeson Ah Mau (85 metres) and Tohu Harris (84 metres). It may be a cliche, but if the Warriors forwards don't bend the line, the halves do not get the time and space to get the backline into attacking situations. Addin Fonua-Blake should be back after this weeks bye; he should help the pack immensely, but he still needs help from the rest of the pack.

Lastly, the Warriors interchange rotation leaves plenty to be desired. I just don't understand the thought process. Elisea Katoa clearly struggled in the backend of the first half, but they didn't bring BMM on. The front-rowers also had limited minutes, with Jamayne Taunoa-Brown playing 34 minutes, Kane Evans (25 minutes) and Bunty Afoa only getting 17 minutes. If Nathan Brown sorts his interchange out, we may see the Warriors lapses in games subside.

Warrior of the match

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Once again, my Warrior of the match goes to Reece Walsh.

It's the third week in a row for Walsh, and yet again, he was head and shoulders above the rest of his teammates. He lead the side in running metres (227), had a hand in several of the Warriors tries and scored a highlight-reel worthy try himself. He still had some poor defensive reads and was battered and bruised with the Cowboys targeting him heavily, but to his credit, he just kept dusting himself off. He is young and inexperienced, but he has grown so much already, and I cant wait to see the superstar he will become.

Warrior to Improve

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My Warriors to improve this week is Adam Pompey. 

He runs strong but, as a centre, fails to pass to his winger and consistently looks lost on defence. I have said and will continue to say that Pompey needs to be shifted to the wing. I think he would deliver a lot more for the Warriors there instead of staying in the centres to become the next Solomone Kata.

Bye Week thoughts

Round 13 is the bye week, so no game for me to predict. It hasn't been the greatest start for the Warriors, but they are still in the race for the top-eight, so all is not lost. The Warriors can rest their bodies, welcome back some injured stars and spend the week working on the issues that I have brought up in my match negatives. Round 14 will be a tough match straight after the bye having to face the Storm. The Warriors will be without Reece Walsh after he is set to miss a week due to suspension. This makes me less confident than I already was, but after that clash, there are a series of winnable matchups which the Warriors will need to nail if they want to keep their playoffs hopes alive. With no game to review this weekend, it means that next week will be my midseason review, so if there is anything specific that you would like me to go over in my review, let me know.

So that was a heartbreaking Round 12, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

How optimistic are you for the second half of the season?

Who was your player to improve?

What changes would you make for the Storm clash?

With Walsh set to miss a game, what changes to the backline would you make?

NZ Warriors 2021 Round 11 Review: Reece on the rise as Warriors hold back Tigers

After round 10's defeat to the Parramatta Eels, the Warriors returned to their adopted home on the Central Coast to face the Wests Tigers. I came into this match confident that the Warriors could get the job done, and despite a last-minute scare from the Tigers, the Warriors did enough to get the job done, walking away with a 30-26 victory.

I enjoyed this match, it wasn't a perfect performance by the Warriors, and it was a nailbiting finish with the Tigers almost stealing the win in the final seconds. Watching the Tigers throw the ball over the sidelines when it looked like they were going to break Warriors fans hearts was a great feeling, but hopefully, the Warriors don't cut it this close again for a while as my nerves won't be able to hack it.

The first half was pretty evenly matched, with the Warriors leading 18-10 after scoring tries through Marcelo Montoya, Jack Murchie, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Reece Walsh, where the Tigers scored twice with a Luke Garner double.

The second-half saw the Tigers strike first through David Nofoaluma, and after Ben Murdoch-Masila was sin-binned, they levelled the scores with a penalty goal. This is where I thought the Warriors had the win in the bag; the Tigers had two penalties in the Warriors RedZone and electing to take the two points both times instead of backing themselves to score a try. Just as BMM was about to return, Eliesa Katoa found himself sent to the bin, which saw my confidence dealt a blow, but the Warriors did not let it affect them and actually scored another two tries through Wade Egan and Montoya to take a comfortable lead into the final 10 minutes. They may have been too comfortable, though, as they allowed James Tamou to barged over in the 78th minute to give the Tigers a sniff. As mentioned above, the Tigers kept control of the ball and had a massive overlap on the left, but some sloppy passing allowed the Warriors to scramble to cover, which made the Tigers shift to the right, and a mistimed pass saw the ball go out and end the match.

It wasn't their best performance, but they got the much-needed two points against a Tigers side that, despite being low on the ladder, have been taking teams to the little all year. The Warriors now have a good shot at going into the bye week with a 6-6 record, which gives them a solid foundation for the backend of the season, especially with Addin Fonua-Blake returning straight after the bye.

There was quite a bit that left a smile on my face, which leads to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

The Warriors attack was vastly improved compared to last week's effort. They played with better direction and threatened the Tigers line repeatedly, making 6 line breaks and 22 tackle breaks. Walsh slotted into the attack nicely from fullback, and Tuivasa-Sheck injected himself into the action despite being on the wing. This side knows how to score points; I just want to see them play this style of football more often. If I had to pick an issue with the attack, it would be Adam Pompey's ball hogging; there were several moments when he could have put the man on his outside away but decided to hold the ball himself, I still believe he is a winger, and we may see him move out there again at some stage. Still, until then, he needs to learn to draw and pass. Another note was Montoya's option to kick instead of passing inside to Walsh after the Warriors made a break was just frustrating to see a potential chance blown.

The backline looks good, RTS on the wing was not as bad as I feared and to be honest, I would be happy to keep this lineup moving forward, except for moving Pompey to the wing. 

My consistent players to improve, Wayde Egan and Kodi Nikorima, both improved in this match.

Nikorima did not run as much as I would like, but he directed the team a lot better and partnered with Walsh well. He also ended the match with two try assists, including the nice grubber for Egan's try.

Egan had his best game in a long time; he had 4 runs for 41 metres, 55 tackles, and delivered quicker ball from the ruck.

I have my fingers crossed that this is a sign of things to come for both players.

Lastly, I liked that the Warriors scored 2 tries and conceded 0 when they were reduced to 12 men. In plenty of games in the past two rounds, we have seen that when a player has been sent to the bin, that team falls apart and is out of the contest, so good to see the Warriors managed to keep the pressure on. Hopefully, the Warriors don't have to be put in that situation too much this season, but they should have the confidence to stay competitive if it does happen again.

There were also things that troubled me, which leads to my negatives from the match.

Match Negatives

As we have seen in many games this season, the Warriors are still having issues staying in the game for 80 minutes. They just have defensive lapses, which opens the door wide open for their opposition to either mount a comeback or run away with a lead. They missed 39 tackles, which is still far too many for my liking, but I think if they keep this lineup together, then they can build trust and combinations. We should this side of their game improve, as the cliche goes, defence win championships, so the Warriors won't last long in the playoffs if they get there if they rely on trying to outscore their opponents.

The errors were still too high, they made 10 unforced errors (down from the 15 last week), and as I keep saying, you cannot give up sets so easily in the NRL as the majority of sides involved in the competition will make you pay for just handing them easy sets. On a positive note, the Warriors reduced the poor passing errors that plagued them last week.

The Warriors had an issue with discipline this week, conceding 5 penalties, 3 ruck infringements and the 2 sin-bins. I think they were hard done by with some of the calls, and BMM's sin-bin, I think, was harsh. Katoa's was a silly error, but fair enough. Jazz Tevaga was lucky not to go to the bin with two high shots, Now while I don't think either were sin-bin worthy anyway, but with the way some of the referees have been the past two rounds, he was fortunate. They have been pretty good this season with their discipline, so I hope that this match was just an outlier and we see them return to the low penalty counts once again this week.

And my last point was the forward's lack of punch. Only Tohu Harris, Tevaga, Leeson Ah Mau and Katoa managed to run over 100 metres. Nathan Brown rotation was puzzling, with several forwards having large spells, which may not have helped, but Jamayne Taunoa-Brown only managed 2 runs for 9 metres, Kane Evans also only had 2 runs for 18 metres, and Bunty Afoa had 5 runs for 45 metres. Thankfully it didn't stop the backs from getting into the match, but against stiffer competition, the forwards really need to get themselves back into the action; AFB's return will help.

Warrior of the Match

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My Warrior of the match goes to Reece Walsh.

The youngster gets the nod for the second week in a row, I wanted him to start, and I got my wish and man, he didn't disappoint. His game didn't start out well when he failed to clean up a grubber which saw the Tigers scored in the early stages; however, he didn't let it get to him and put on some fantastic cut-out passes, which lead to 3 try assists, not to mention a nice show of pace to score a try of his own after a short ball from Nikorima. He ran for 133 metres and also made up for that earlier defensive error throwing his body on the line in a try-saving effort in the corner. On my show The Stand-Off on New Zealand Sport Radio, we have praised what we have seen so far from the rookie, and I am so excited to watch this kid grow while wearing a Warriors jersey. He still has a lot of stuff to work on, but he sounds keen to learn and definitely knows how to add excitement to a match.

Warrior to Improve

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I don't have a Warrior to improve this week; a few didn't have their best match but not enough to point out here. So instead, I want to shout out Tohu Harris.

Harris once again was the cream of the crop when it came to the Warriors pack. He ran 18 times for 160 metres and made 45 tackles. He just gives 100% week in and week out and is truly the glue holding this pack together. The surefire choice for Captaincy next season continues to impress, and if the rest of the pack can come up to his level, then the Warriors would be a force to be reckoned with.

 

Next Rounds' thoughts and prediction

Round 12 sees the Warriors head to Queensland Country Bank Stadium to face the Cowboys. The Cowboys had a good win against the Knights in Round 11 but will have to go without Jason Taumalolo and Lachlan Burr in a serious hit to their pack. It will still be a tough match for the Warriors, though, and they will need a massive effort from the forwards if they want to have the edge. If they do that, then their backline should make easy work of the Cowboys edges and get the win, so I'm picking the Warriors to get the victory by 10.

Brown's selection games will undoubtedly continue, but I'm sure we will see the same 17 that played in round 11, which I don't mind.

So that was a happier Round 11, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Would you make any changes to the Warriors 17?
Did you have a player to improve?
Are you excited to see more game time for Walsh?
What is your score prediction for the Cowboys clash?

NZ Warriors 2021 Round 10 Review: Walsh Magic not enough as Warriors dig hole with slow start

 

After round nine's defeat to the Manly Sea Eagles, the Warriors made their way to Suncorp for Magic Round to face the Parramatta Eels. It was always going to be a tough ask against a top-four side, but with several key players out for Parramatta, I gave the Warriors a decent shot. However, I was off the mark with the Eels handing the Warriors their sixth loss of the year, with the Eels winning 34-18.

Another disappointing performance with the Warriors starting the game, making error after error. The Eels, in turn, dominated possession and territory and made easy work of the Warriors defence, scoring 4 tries in the first 20 minutes of the match through Nathan Brown, Maika Sivo and a double to Reagan Campbell-Gillard, who scored his tries back to back in the space of 3 minutes. The Warriors started to string some sets together and got themselves on the board after Josh Curran scored from a Chanel Harris-Tavita bomb to end the half trailing 24-6. The second half started with more of the same, with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck dropping a bomb, the Eels looked to have scored straight after the error when Shaun Lane charged over, but the Warriors managed to hold him up. It was only a slight reprieve as the Warriors knocked on another kick which saw the ball end up with debutant Jakob Arthur who put Ryan Matterson over the try-line untouched. Parramatta stepped it up a gear, and Matterson was over again, but the Bunker denied him, letting the Warriors off the hook, who started to play more threatening football with the injection of Reece Walsh. This saw the Warriors scoring next, with Ben Murdoch-Masila rampaging his way over the try-line. The Eels responded quickly with Blake Ferguson scoring in the corner, but he lost possession while grounding, keeping the hopes of a Warriors fightback intact. The Warriors surge up the field, and after a penalty for a high shot on Tuivasa-Sheck, they were in prime position, and moments later, Walsh added to his highlight reel, hitting and spinning his way to the line. This brought the Warriors back into the contest, and while they had several chances to get into scoring positions, they lacked the polish to seal the deal. After weathering the storm, the Eels got themselves back on track and, after earning a repeat set, were over for the final; try of the match when Brown spied a hole and crossed for the first try of his career. The Warriors did make a last-minute attempt to add some points, including another fantastic run from Walsh, but it was too little too late.

As I said, this was always going to be a tough match; however, if the Warriors handling was better, I think they could have shot at getting the win here. It's another loss to learn from, but they can't afford too many more as the battle for a top-eight spot is getting fierce.

It wasn't a great performance, but a few things left a smile on my face, which leads me to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

Despite being well behind on the scoreboard, it thought the Warriors showed heart in the second half and started to make a game of it. So far this season, the Warriors have consistently had a patch of 20 minutes where they have just allowed their opposition to either run up a lead or overtake them. I'm not sure what is behind this mental lapse, but the Warriors need to pinpoint it and get it out of their game.

A lot of the second-half fightback came from Walsh entering the game. This kid adds so much to the Warriors attack, and while his defence is suspect at times, I think he showed improvement this week. I also like that the Warriors actually tried to get him the ball this week after I complained last week that they didn't involve him enough, but more on him later.

I also thought Euan Aitken had a decent return, he added some starch to the Warriors edge, and I think he will back to his best in no time. He is a solid defender and a decent runner; his return has come at the right time for the Warriors to hopefully start to string some wins together, especially with two very winnable games in the next two rounds.

There were also things that troubled me, which leads to my negatives from the match.

Match Negatives

Obviously, my first negative is the Warriors errors; they made 15 errors and only completed 61% of their sets. This immediately put them on the backfoot, and against a quality side, you just can't give up sets so easily. How do you fix it? I'm not sure, but I guess they can work on their passing game for a start as so many passes were thrown haphazardly and ended up over the receiver's head.

My next negative is the poor first half; this links directly with the errors as the Warriors had very little possession and territory in that first half, and when they did finally start to hold onto the ball, they didn't do much with it. Harris-Tavita looked better than he did last week, but his kicking options weren't the best, and his halves partner didn't help. I want to see a better start this week, as slow starts just suck any momentum out of the match.

Lastly, the Warriors forwards did the halves no favours, with only Tohu Harris running for over 100 metres; BMM wasn't far behind with 92 and would have most likely click over 100 if he didn't have to go off to get stitches. If the Warriors had more ball in the first half, we might have seen higher numbers from the pack, but they need to do their part if they want to start winning games. The return of Addin Fonua-Blake could not come soon enough.

Warrior of the Match

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My Warrior of the match goes to Reece Walsh.

He only had 46 minutes in this match, but boy did he make them count; he ran for 159 metres, made 3 linebreaks, 1 linebreak assist, 7 tackle-breaks, and lead the Warriors with 99 kick metres from 7 kicks. The impact he has on games cannot be understated, and he continues to prove that he deserves a spot in the starting side. I still think he needs to be in the halves while RTS is in the side as I don't like seeing the captain sent to the wing. I feel like Nathan Brown will name him on the bench again, however, but I think the Warriors are a better side with him on the park, so having him on from the start seems like a no brainer.

Warrior to Improve

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My Warrior who needs to improve is Kodi Nikorima. He played a large part in many of the Warriors errors in the match’s early stages. He continually put players on his outside under pressure with wayward passes and generally lacked the polish needed to be a first grade half. The fact that an 18-year-old rookie has more impact on the Warriors attack in limited minutes shows how poor Nikorima is performing. If the Warriors are to stay a top-eight contender, they need Nikorima to either step up or move to Hooker or No. 14, where I think he plays his best football.

Next Rounds' thoughts and prediction

Round 11 sees the Warriors return to Central Coast Stadium to face the Wests Tigers. While the Tigers currently sit at 13th on the ladder, they are by no means easy beats as they have displayed some great heart, and Adam Doueihi and Moses Mbye played well at Suncorp and will be dangerous. If the Warriors can sort out their handling, then they should get the win here. So I am picking the Warriors to get the win by 14.

I think Brown needs to make changes to the squad, Walsh to start, and I would also swap Adam Pompey and Rocco Berry around as I think Pompey is a better winger than a centre. Josh Curran's injury could see him miss some game time, so I would be bringing Jack Murchie or Eliesa Katoa into the mix. Brown loves to keep us guessing with his selections, so the team announced tomorrow most likely won't be the one we see run out on Friday night, but fingers crossed it's an exciting game.

So that was a disappointing Round 10, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

How would you like to see the team line up this round?
Who was your player to improve?
Do you think the Warriors can play finals footy this year?
What is your score prediction for the Tigers clash?

NZ Warriors 2021 Round 9 Review: Errors haunt Warriors has Tommy Turbo sparks Manly into action

After Round eight's stressful victory against the Cowboys, the Warriors made the journey to Lottoland to face the Manly Sea Eagles. Both sides were missing key players in their forward pack and left their defence in the sheds with plenty of points being scored, the Warriors started well, but a poor second-half saw the Warriors handed their 5th defeat of the year with Manly winning 38-32.

Well, this was another frustrating watch, I predicted a Manly win by a large margin, but it was another close match between the sides, with the Warriors just lacking the polish to put Manly to the sword.
This was a try fest of a match with both sides leaving plenty to be desired when it came to defence but offering plenty of highlight-reel material on attack. The Warriors scored quickly, with Chanel Harris-Tavita scoring in the 2nd minute. However, Manly struck back with back to back tries through Tom Trbojevic, who was celebrating his 100th match. The Warriors responded quickly with Tohu Harris barging over after a nice shirt ball from Wayde Egan. Errors began to plague both sides, and the scoring slowed until a Kodi Nikorima penalty goal in the 34th pushed the Warriors ahead by two; the Warriors found their lead pushed out further when Josh Curran dived on a Jason Saab dropped ball to see the New Zealand side go into the break leading 20-12. Errors continued to haunt the Warriors in the second half, with Nikorima botching a guaranteed try with a poor pass which saw Manly unleash a try-scoring onslaught, scoring 5 tries in quick succession through Morgan Harper, Reuben Garrick and a hattrick for Saab to give Manly a large lead as the game entered the final 20 minutes. Another try to Harris-Tavita in the 67th minute saw the Warriors give themselves a slim chance of a comeback before a Harris offload saw youngster Reece Walsh sneak over for the first try of his NRL career in the 74th minute. The pressure was building, and the Warriors looked on the verge of forcing the game into golden-point when Walsh threw a cutout pass to Ken Maumalo, but Manly threw everything at the big winger and pushed him over the sideline to hold on for yet another win. 

This was a winnable match, and I think it made it worse to watch, feeling like the side had a win in their sights only to capitulate. To put a positive spin on it, I hope the Warriors can take lessons from this and deliver a better effort in Round 10.

It wasn't the best performance, but a few things left a smile on my face, which leads me to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

I thought the Warriors started the match reasonably well; they lacked a lot of punch up the middle, and Harris-Tavita and Nikorima were rusty and struggled to combine at times but did enough to get some point on the board. However, as I have said quite a bit this season, the Warriors need to start playing for 80 minutes if they wish to remain in the top eight.

Walsh continues to shine; Nathan Brown decided to move him to the bench and threw him on with 26 minutes to go when the Warriors were in trouble, and to his credit, he asked Manly plenty of questions and added some much-needed spark and almost got the Warriors into a game-winning situation. His defence was still an issue, but he was targeted by Tommy Turbo, and he is no easy man to contain. The Warriors just need to give him the ball.

Lastly, the return of some key players with this week or next will help the Warriors out, Euan Aitken, Ben Murdoch-Masila should return this week, and Addin Fonua-Blake is back a few weeks after; this will see the Warriors return to almost full strength and I think they could string some wins together to cement a spot in the eight.

There was quite a bit that troubled me, which leads to my Negatives from the match.

Match Negatives

The Warriors lack of respect for the ball was a coach killer; they made 9 errors in this match and just constantly let Manly off the hook; they weren't even errors made when trying to force an offload. They were mainly soft carries. There are just too many quality sides in the NRL, and gifting them extra sets due to poor handling is a surefire way to walk away without the victory.

The Warriors forwards left plenty to be desired, with Kane Evans the only forward to run for over 100 metres. They missed BMM's impact, and the front-rowers appeared to be going through the motions without making any dents in the Sea Eagles line. Josh Curran was putting in plenty of effort but was making too many errors, and Bayley Sironen offered very little, to the point where you could be forgiven for forgetting that he ever played. I'm just counting the days until AFB returns, but in the meantime, I think some changes to the pack are required.

The Warriors lacked spark on attack. Making only 4 linebreaks and 5 offloads. Harris-Tavita was patchy in his first game back, and his kicking game was poor; there just wasn't enough questions asked until Walsh joined the match. Nikorima's failure to deliver a clean pass when the Warriors had a two-man overlap was throw something at the TV awful, and if I was in charge, I would have pulled him at that point. There is completion for the halves spots now, so hopefully, we see some improvement from Nikorima quickly; otherwise, his days in the halves may be numbered.

The Warriors missed tackles returned with a vengeance, missing 24 in total. Manly targeted the Warriors edges and found plenty of holes, and watching them score those five tries in quick succession was embarrassing. Aitken will add some starch to his edge, and hopefully, those young backs will learn to stop rushing in of their man as it just made things so easy for the Sea Eagles; simply trust the man on your inside and focus on your own target.

Lastly, the gameday 17. Brown admitted after the match that he may have got it wrong, and I agree, Walsh needs to start, Adam Pompey needs to go back to the wing as he is a ball hog that missed so many opportunities to put his winger into space. The starting props need to be changed with either Leeson Ah Mau or Bunty Afoa starting the match (if not both) as Jamayne Taunoa-Brown and Kane Evans just don't start matches with a bang. After Brown's admission, I am hopeful that we will see some changes, but he is quite secretive with his gameday side, with us not really having a clue on who will run out until an hour before kickoff.

Warrior of the Match

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My Warrior of the game goes to Tohu Harris.

It was hard this week as I don't feel like many players stood out, but Harris gave it a decent stab. He lead the side with 42 tackles, only ran for 90 metres but also had a line break, line break assist, a try assist and 3 tackle breaks. He only managed one offload but was one of the only Warriors players that was always threatening to get the ball away. While it wasn't his best performance, you could see that he was trying to lift his teammates and get the side back into the game. I hope the rest of his pack step up and help him out next week.

Warrior to Improve

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There were quite a few players that could have got my Warrior to improve this week, but I have gone with Wayde Egan. I know he ends matches right up there in the tackle count, but he lacks everywhere else. He just is so slow getting the ball out of the ruck; he did deliver a nice short ball to Harris for his try, but other than that, he just looked off the pace. When Nikorima moved into dummy-half, your saw the pace quicken, and the Warriors attack looked more dangerous. I have been hopeful that Egan would start to deliver for the Warriors, but I get let down every week. I'm sure he is a great guy to have around, but I honestly don't think he is at the level required for a dummy-half with the new rules. Nikorima needs to move into Hooker, I know people are concerned about his defence, but he would have the support of his props in that position which should protect him. If Egan sees that his position is under threat, maybe it will light a fire under him, and he can prove his doubters (myself included) wrong.

Next round's thoughts and prediction 

Round 10 is magic-round and see's the Warriors travelling to Suncorp Stadium to face the Parramatta Eels. It is an interesting contest as the Eels have been one of the form sides but after injuries, suspensions and leaving players out of their biosecurity bubble, they may struggle to name a 21-man squad. They have submitted an application to the NRL to allow those players outside of the bubble to return. This gives the Warriors a prime opportunity to get a much-needed victory over the 2nd place side. However, it won't be easy as the Eels still have King Gutho out there, and I'm certain that Isaiah Papali'i will be looking to put in a massive performance against his former club.

If the Warriors make some changes to their side, then they have a shot, so I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt here and pick the Warriors to win by 8.

So that was a disappointing Round 9, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions

What changes would you make to the 17?
Who was your player of the Day?
Do you think Egan can improve and keep his starting spot?
What is your score prediction for the Eels clash?

NZ Warriors 2021 Round 8 Review: Warriors cling to victory after strong start almost undone

After Round seven's disappointing performance against the Storm, the Warriors returned to their adopted home on the Central Coast to face a Cowboys side on a three-match winning streak.

The Warriors were still missing several key players. Still, all eyes were on rookie Reece Walsh's first stint at five-eighth, and he delivered plenty of highlights as the Warriors held back a second-half comeback attempt from North Queensland to walk away with a 24-20 victory.

Man, what an exciting game; I predicted a win here, but it was a bit too close for my liking; the last 20 minutes of this match had me on the edge of my seat, just waiting for either side to make the match-winning play.
Reece Walsh shone once again in this match, playing a large part in the Warriors attack, with the home side scoring three tries in the first 18 minutes through Kodi Nikorima, Rocco Berry and Ben Murdoch-Masila. The Cowboys keep themselves in the match when in the 32nd minute when Reece Robson threw the mother of all dummies, fooling Jazz Tevaga as he crossed the try-line untouched. Walsh was at it again; minutes later, he put Josh Curran through a hole before the second-rower flicked the ball to Adam Pompey to score under the posts in the last scoring play of the first half, giving the Warriors a decent 24-4 lead. The Cowboys switched up their game plan and started to target the inexperienced edge of Berry and debutant Edward Kosi. It reaped rewards with Murray Taulagi and Scott Drinkwater scoring down that side in the 46th and 48th minute, making Warriors fans nervous as the Warriors looked to be letting this game slip. The Warriors appeared to have scored a fantastic try when Walsh ran on the last tackle, but the Bunker denied them, advising that the ball hit Curran’s shoulder and travelled forward. Both sides struggled to get the upper hand, with both sides letting themselves down with errors and poor discipline. A Tohu Harris offload to Walsh saw the exciting youngster burst into open space before he slipped over and then knocked the ball on after Valentine Holmes cleaned him up. North Queensland’s next set saw them surge up the field before the game was halted when Murdoch-Masila came off second best in a collision with Jason Taumalolo; once the match resumed, the Cowboys didn’t take long to score with Taulagi crossing over again in the corner to reduce the New Zealand sides lead to four. Momentum was heavily in the Cowboys favour as they made easy work of marching up the field and looked to be ready to score again before knocking the ball on but were given a penalty after Pompey was deemed offside. However, North Queensland failed to capitalise on the field position, throwing a forward pass that let the Warriors off the hook. The New Zealand side let themselves down again when Bayley Sironen lost control of the ball when attempting to play it, but the Cowboys also made the same error a few tackles later. The Warriors were given a penalty that gave them their first set inside North Queensland’s half for roughly 15 minutes, but Curran fumbled his attempt to pick up a Walsh grubber. Time was running out for the Cowboys, and they made a last-ditch attempt to score points, but their hopes were dashed when Maumalo scooped up the ball and ran for 30 metres to end the match with the Warriors grimly holding on for a much-needed victory. 

I thought it was a cliche game of two halves; the Warriors dominated the first half and then let the Cowboys back into the match in the second. The team has enough talent to succeed, and with several players set to return in the next few weeks and some winnable matchups, I think the Warriors can cement themselves in the top eight.

Despite the less than stellar second half, a few things left a smile on my face, which leads me to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

That first half was fantastic, with the Warriors putting on a show taking full advantage of a slow Cowboys defensive line. The Warriors ended the match with 7 linebreaks, 30 tackle-breaks and 17 offloads. Every player in the backline managed to run for over 100 metres, and it was great to see the Warriors play a confident attacking style. They just need to stay in that mode for the entire match.

The rookies shone once again, Walsh was on fire (more on him below), and I like Rocco Berry and thought he had another good showing. The Warriors also handed young winger Edward Kosi a debut. I thought that he had a decent outing, the Cowboys started to target him and Berry in the second half, and their inexperience showed leaking some points, but these three are going to do great things for the Warriors once they get some more game-time under their belts.

The lineup was correct this week; in my review last week, I said I wanted Nathan Brown to move Walsh into the halves and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck back into Fullback, and he did it, and the Warriors attack was all the better for it. It added a new dimension to the Warriors attack, and RTS could inject himself into the attack at will. I love this new lineup and hope that Brown keeps it this week.

Lastly, the Warriors' defence only missed 13 tackles in this match, which is a great improvement; the stats can be a bit deceiving as the Warriors didn't have to defend too much in the first half. They will be disappointed in their defensive effort sliding a bit in the second half, but they still showed enough energy when having to scramble, and with a tough matchup this week, they will need another strong defensive outing.

Some things concerned me, however, which leads to my negatives from the match.

Match Negatives

The second-half collapse was a bit of a concern, I'm not sure if it was just down to the Warriors coming into the second-half overconfident, taking the Cowboys lightly or if North Queensland just switched their gameplan and the Warriors were caught off-guard. Thankfully the Warriors did enough in the first half to survive, but they will do my heart some much-needed rest if they don't let their opposition back into the match.

The backs may have had a field day, but the forwards didn't deliver the same level of impact, only Kane Evans, Ben Murdoch-Masila, and Tohu Harris ran for over 100 metres, with Josh Curran just slightly behind them. The Warriors need a few more forwards to pull their weight to lighten the load of the backline and make things easier for the halves. BMM was a monster, though, and I hope he can play this week after leaving the field early.

The Warriors let themselves down with a lack of respect for the ball, making 12 errors; I will put an asterisk next to this as some of the errors came from the Warriors chancing their arm when trying to score points in the second-half and I have been quoted as saying that I would rather see the players try and fail instead of not trying anything. Just a little more respect for the ball will help keep my stress levels manageable.

Lastly, I was confused with Wayde Egan's role in this match. It may have just been me, but there were several patches in the game where he was not going into dummy-half, leaving it to Walsh, RTS and Nikorima. I'm not sure if this is a game plan to allow those quicker players to strike while the Cowboys were struggling to defend or if he is playing through an injury, but he just looked to be off the pace. There was no mention of it in the press conference, but I will keep an eye on it this week to see if it happens again.

Warrior of the game

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My Warrior of the game goes to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

It was a great bounceback after last weeks outing; the skipper was back to his best, leading his side in run metres, making 225; he also made a linebreak, a try assist, 8 tackle-breaks and 3 offloads. He is an amazing talent, and although he is leaving at the end of the season and will be a massive loss but full credit to RTS for never giving anything less the 100%. He is getting heavily involved in the Warriors attack, and I think we will see the points start to flow when his combination with Walsh grows. I have all my fingers crossed that everything COVID related stays calm so the Warriors can bring some games back to Mount Smart so we can give him a proper sendoff.

Warrior to Improve

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While the second-half was dreadful, with many players having a shocking performance, I couldn't pick anyone to be my Warrior to improve; those who played badly in the last 40 did enough in the first 40 to get a pass mark.

So instead, I want to give a shout out to Reece Walsh, this kid just oozes talent, and in his first match at five-eighth, he was electric. It wasn't a perfect performance by any stretch, with the youngster making a few errors and made some poor decisions on the last tackle he was always trying, and he set up a nice try for BMM and had his hand in most of the Warriors big attacking plays. His kicking was great, and he has a hell of a bomb on him. I love him in the halves, and if he continues to play like this, I would be looking at keeping him there and moving someone else to fullback next season. I think Rocco Berry may be an option, but Scott Drinkwater may be on the outer with the Cowboys, and he could be a handy pickup. As long as Walsh is on the field, he will get himself involved, but it just my food for thought.

Next game's thoughts and predictions

Round 9 sees the Warriors travel to Lottoland to face the Sea Eagles. They played on a few weeks back when Manly got their first victory for the year, but since then, they have been putting together some great performances, including a decent showing against the Panthers in Round 8. This will be a tough game for the Warriors, and it will be no shock that the Warriors will need to keep Tommy Turbo quiet if they are to have a chance in this match.

I feel like the Warriors will use the same lineup, but we may see the return of Euan Aitken, which would help the Warriors defence on the edge. If the forwards can increase their impact and give Walsh and RTS some room to play football, they may get the job done; unfortunately, I think the Sea Eagles will be too strong, so I am picking Manly to win by 16.

So that was a stressful but exciting Round 8, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What would you do with Walsh next season, Fullback or Five-Eighth?

Who was your player of the day?

Did you have a player to Improve?

What is your score prediction for the Sea Eagles clash?